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trivia question, the world's highest paid female athlete? we asked you. blonds always have more fun. maria sharapova, almost 25 mill last year, mostly in endorsements. our thanks to cody ross, laura behnke and lauren scott and our camera crew behind the scenes. have a good week. we'll see you tomorrow.

>> this is the chris matthews show. >> ask not what your country can do for you. >> i can hear you. >> the time for change has come. >> no obama, who is behind the war of anger about the mosque. who is exploiting a washington august to ignite more anti-government fury. who are the winners on the assault of islam? is this about obama? if all this noise is about the economy and the deficit, why so much hea onlyhe mosque? if it is a partisan divide, why do they bring it back to race? and finally, the call of the wild, could the g.o.p. win too many election this is fall and land too many from the far right in congress? could they bring themselves down and reelect obama, just by flying wild with zany candidates?

i'm chris matthews. welcome to the show. with us joe klein and katty kay and kelly o'donnell. and reihan salam. quho is driving the -- who is driving the division in the country. what is the motive on the march on washington? what is the up roar about the mosque near ground zero? the critics are unaccountably worked up. >> the people that want to build this mosque. they're maybing a case about supremacy, the nazis don't have a right to put up a sign in the holocaust museum. we wouldn't have japanese putting up a site next to pearl harbour. chris: wh wins from a talk like this? >> this is about restoring honor in our ownselfs. we will never fix or country,

ssunle george washington and abraham linken. >> no more rights can they take away with us. what is wrong with us, america? why are people not in the streets? your republic is over. chris: joe klein, do you feel this? the question is the motive behind this. you and i have groanp u in american politician. this language, even from newt gingrich. tier -- they're talking like this. >> newt should be embarrassed. glenn beck is different. he's a paranoid lunatic who is a great entertainer. he's exploiting something that always happens in the country when the economy is bad and we're at war. during world war i, people were talking german in the street,

people would beat them up. and then we interned the japanese. during the bad economic times over the last couple of years and the terrorism, it has led to this wave that glenn beck and his puppet master, rupert murdoch are exploiting. chris: katty, it is amazing to see a news organization like fox, the owner giving a million dollars to the republican party. it is out of the closet. is this a commercial thing beck is doing to raise ratings and raise money and get an audience. coming to washington, the whole thing. >> i think to some extent, as joe said, beck is an extraordinary entertainer. when he rants like this and speaks in very intimate fear amongering tones about how the republic is dispeering, that raises ratings and his profile. i think he's appealing to a broader section of the american public that thinks they need to

put a check on the administration. if we see a big republican turnout, it is not because they love republicans but they will want to check the power that is there. >> and there's those that think our country has been taken from us and talking like that and people are listening. >> i have been to tea party events. those are the divide within. they're saying, don't you see we're mainstream americans? trying to validate can their position. and then at the same time, a voice like beck, a vibrant incendiary characters, they could draft behind that. but i'm always struck by the divide of those that want to raise the crazy signs and those that say, we have a thoughtful position. i'm struck by that at those events. chris: i think this gets ethnic and tribal. i listened to rush limbaugh

saying we're not islam phone bick. -- phone bick. >> barack obama is from a different background and america has embraced him. e idea that glenn beck is being controlled by rupert murdoch as the puppet master gets things wrong. when you look at glenn beck, you see someone for -- for example remember the million man m. people were terrified, it caused consternation, but what you saw was tons of african-american men got together and it was about identity, and pride. i think when you're looking at our politician right now, in the economic downturn, you see confusion and uncertainty. there's a decent number of people who feelot n like have-knots but are-knots. they don't feel respected and want to assert them. >> what about the glenn beck

contingency? >> small towns, and rural areas, white. kris identified. chris: who is their ville cran? >> i don't think there's a villain. chris: come on. >> the one thing the million man march has in common with the glenn beck march is anger. this is the greatest democracy and most prosperous country in the history of the world. sooner or hair you got to ask people what -- sooner or hair you got to ask what people -- >> ainge at white people, yes. >> they feel they're not, what? they're not what they see represented in washington? >> certainly a part of it. these people felt disaffected during the bush years. >> they're angry. >> they were angry but that wasn't part of a narrative. right now it fits a narrative

that is compelling and exciting. it fits preconceived notions. >> where is that coming from? >> a lot of folks, including the folks around this roundtable. not intentionally. >> when you go out and talk to the people in the crowds that go to the rallies, they're listening to beck on the radio, you say some are regular people concerned about taxes and deficits. >> they identify themselves that way. chris: who are the people more passionate? >> certainly you have people not supporters of barack obama, may not like him. it may not be visceral hate against him. i hear it over and over again, the size of government. these are deeply ingrained we were points of view, when you're talking about rural america, where you're talking about people who support growing up a ranch and farm. there's an urban-rural divid in the country. >> some of that anger is

understandable in a period of two years in which we have seen a huge extension of government. chris: we got a poll this week, 54% of republicans say they have an unfavorable view of islam, theridge. not politician, not terrorists, no subset. the billion people they don't like. serious business. >> i think this is beyond -- this is now the conversation that has followed the mosque has almost become a bigger problem in itself, the tone of that conversation. one advantages that america has always had, is you have one of the most assimilated moderate, muslim populations in the we were world. that's played to your advantage. the risk here is incidentslike a -- a muslim taxi driver getting stabbed in new york. chris: by probably a deranged person. >> you know, you had over the

last year two or three major incidents of deranged muslims, army doctor at fort hood, the time square bomber that were american citizens. chris: this attitude against them. >> yeah. >> i also think there's a small minority of muslims in the world who believe this extremist philosophy. >> how do you explain -- you put those extremists in with muslims. >> there's a different attitude between democrats and republicans. 20% of docrats say they have a problem with islam. 54% of republicans do. explain that. >> i will explain it. 5% of americans identify as republicans, 42% identify as conservatives. when you identify those conservatives, they have different views on a host of

issues. when you look at the smaller group, then it stands to reason, they're going to have different views. chris: why are they anti-islamic. >> one thing to say i have a different view of islam, i have my views and those views are not true. the idea that buddhists and christians are all toward the same god, that's a unique view. if you asked this several years ago, you would get a similar answer but it didn't go with the political narrative. chris: if we had hillary clinton now, would we have the same talk and the same attitude toward the mosque, and a it is a row of buildings? >> first we have a mixed race president with a middle name hussein. and what is going on is just not the plain and black and white

stuff of the past. it is that asians are moving in and running the local hotel. i don't want to deal in the cliches. there's latinos who are moving into the areas. their grandchildren are coming out as gay or intermarrying. the purity of the ethnic -- the ethnic tour -- purity to coin a phrase for longer exists. that in addition to the real economic problems -- i think that's the change -- the whole change in the world they live is something. chris: it about the president, barack obama hussein obama. we elected him we must not be anti-islamic. >> he had a high approval rating, that dwindled. they were just as white, but the approval declined. >> there has always been a segment of the american population that felt barack

obama has felt that he's like them. they feel, they're not represented by the person that they have in office. chris: part of the ignition of the anger, the bern? >> he's there, he's something that could be the spark and flame. i think -- chris: the war with islam has made it some people -- made it okay for some people to slam is lambs. -- islam. during world war ii, the japanese. and in 1992, a movie about american p.o.w.'s on trial in japan. you'll catch the drift. >> [uninlligible]

>> what do you think of general mcarthur now. >> don't be too disappointed, you'll meet him again. >> you approve of his actions? >> wholeheartedly. it was realistic. >> i think s tooo. it is a wise man that knows where courage ends and stupidity begins. chris: some people don't think it improved by the 60's. the picture mad men captures that perfectly. and watch this from last monday's show. and it is an ad agency and they want to pursue big with honda. one partner is angry and holds out. >> this for the s. >> we don't want conditions, we want it to be unconditional. >> tell him what i said. >> roger, stop it.

these men are our guests. >> do you think we'll fawn all over you, we'll beat you and beat you again and we don't want your japanese crap. so sign up. class mad men, that's all we talk about monday morning at the office. when we come back, why would democrats glad to see the far right do well this fall. could some of this far right victory we expect this november actually help barack obama w a second-term. ns fromoops and predict these top reporters. be right b

chris: strong tea party showing in alaska. sarah palin endorsed candidate. just the latest surprise from the far right this year.

the national g.o..p may not know how to handle it. some democrats see a silver lining. here's ed rendell. >> there's something called the whacko factor. independents and swing voters have to be scared to death hearing about the republican candidates and the extremists. >> could well be right. and could the activists far right cut off the middle politically and help reelect barack obama in 12. and we put that to the meter. and catch this result. will this rightward jag actually help or hurt obama. 11 say it is going to help pimm. just one says it'll hurt him. kelly, joe, and katty all medium, start with joe. do you think there's enough of these guys on the far right, and sharon engel in nevada, if they get in the senate, they will expose the republican party in a way that will help barack obama? >> it depends on who the republican candidate is.

i mean, you may get a buickaror candidate. obama has to be more effective politically. but these people get headlines. a friend of mine, when i was in kentucky in the rand paul versus rand ball paul, when rand paul says something stupid, when he's quiet he rises. >> if there's a back coe aspect to the republican party, it could help barack obama. >> i think it is the energy factor on the part of the republican party. one that worries the democrat candidates is their base is not energized about the mid term elections. if you have a energetic right to the elections that will shake up the democrats and get them to the polls to vote. >> talk about social security and ideological stuff, will that

encourage older people to show up? >> they're reliable. from the democratic point of view, if you can't beat them use them fp if you make them part of the establishment, by making them office holders, it is easier to do the juxtaposition and if as the president shows, moderate some, that's helpful. >> you're hailey barber. you're a conservative middle of the roader. do you feel you have a chance to be barack obama in 2012, the back coe wing will be the best. >> if you're hailey barber or dozens of others that got wealthy by trading favors, absolutely terrified and you're going to call the back coes and whatever they get called on whackos and whatever they get called, they're not whackos. and they care about -- >> the incumbent republicans such as they exist feel the new breed will outshine them.

>> they're scared about the guys scaring donors. they're scared about them scaring lobbies. that's true and a legitimate fear if all you care about is making money. the truth is these guys. >> how about 201? >> i don't think it is about republicans and democrats. it is about an alliance that are rifts of obama on the left and the folks within the tea party ntveme >> the other risk for the republicans, if they get into power with people that are from the right and who is sole mission over the next two years is to either obstruct policy and launch investigations into the administration, then that could look like a party that -- that is not working chris: the last question, will this far right scare the middle? >> you're first. >> maybe. >> likely. >>likely. >> occasionally. >> okay. what a softy. when e we come back, scoops and

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class tell me something i don't know. >> i'm as confused about the contry as anyone, therefore, next week i'm getting in a suv and i'm driving across the country, and -- all of you are invited to join me. chris: look for america. >> it is a month now for the pakistan floods, people in the state department aren't worried about the taliban attacking aide workers but they're worried about local governments collapsing and that leaving room

for streit i haves to cause mischief in various areas of the country. >> i have been struck with the races and how the candidates in both parties have slick ads and they look awkward as candidates. ben quail, who don't yet have that finesse, in the retail side of politics. it was striking to me. >> our r.n.c. chairman coming out of the closet reveals a big divide between elite republicans a lot of them that are donating to same-sex marriage and a base that is unreconciled to same-sex marriage, this is going to a huge divide for republicans for a decade. chris: when we come back, the question, is barack obama feeling enough of america's question, is barack obama feeling enough of america's pain?